assistirfilmes Chapter 64 Laughter in the Elevator
Chapter 64 Laughter in the Elevator
The glass doors of the Motorola Building faced east, and the August sun shone on them, making one dizzy. Li Si'an carried a suitcase, Zhou Weidong walked on his left, and Zhang Yibai walked on his right. The three of them passed through the revolving door and entered the lobby.
A blast of cold air hit me, carrying a faint smell of coffee and printer ink. The floor was marble, gleaming so brightly that leather shoes reflected your image.
The reception desk was a curved, dark wooden table, behind which sat two young women dressed in dark blue business suits with scarves tied around their collars and standard smiles on their faces.
Zhou Weidong walked over. "Hello, we have an appointment with Zhao Hongyu, the Marketing Director. Ten o'clock."
The receptionist glanced down at the register, then looked up. "Mr. Zhou Weidong?"
"right."
"Director Zhao is on the twelfth floor, in conference room 1208. The elevator is on your right." She handed over three visitor cards, plastic clip-on type, with Motorola's "M" logo printed on them.
The three people fastened their visitor badges and entered the elevator. The elevator was also cold inside, with brushed stainless steel walls that were spotless and reflected images.
The floor numbers jumped up one by one, and when they reached twelve, there was a ding, and the door opened.
The hallway was carpeted in dark gray, soft and plush to the touch. Several framed black and white photographs hung on the walls.
The first generation of Motorola mobile phones, the earliest walkie-talkies, and the communication equipment used during the Apollo moon landing.
The door to room 1208 was ajar, and voices could be heard coming from inside.
Zhou Weidong knocked on the door.
"Please come in."
Pushing open the door, you enter a small conference room. There's a long table, black leather chairs, and a whiteboard on the wall with a few lines of English writing on it.
The window faces Jianguomenwai Street, where traffic flows silently below.
A 21-inch Sony television was already set up on the table, with a VCR attached next to it. Three people were sitting opposite the television.
The one in the middle was in his early forties, of medium height, slightly overweight, wearing a light blue shirt with one button undone at the collar. His hair was neatly combed, his face was round, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses.
This is Zhao Hongyu, Howard. To his left sits a man in his thirties, thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with a notebook open in front of him and a pen in his hand.
On the right is a young woman in her twenties with short hair, wearing a beige shirt. On the table in front of her is a pack of tissues and a bottle of mineral water.
Zhao Hongyu stood up and extended his hand. "Mr. Zhou? Wang Xiaojing mentioned you to me. This must be Li Si'an?"
"Hello, Mr. Zhao." Li Si'an shook hands with him. Zhao Hongyu's palm was thick and his grip was firm.
"This is Director Zhang Yibai," Li Si'an said, stepping aside. "He's the director of the 'Fairy Tale' music video."
Zhao Hongyu shook hands with Zhang Yibai and gestured with his chin toward the chair. "Sit."
The three of them sat down opposite the television. Zhao Hongyu introduced the two people next to him—the one wearing glasses was the marketing manager, surnamed Liu. The young woman was his assistant, surnamed Sun.
"Wang Xiaojing told me that you filmed a music video that used our StarTAC."
Zhao Hongyu leaned back in his chair, his tone unhurried, "It sounds quite interesting. I'm a straightforward person, so let's not beat around the bush and take a look at the stuff first?"
Li Si'an stood up, opened the small black box, took out the finished MV tape, and put it into the VCR.
He pressed play, returned to his seat, and turned the TV slightly to the side so that the three people opposite him could see it more clearly.
The screen lit up.
In a rented room, Zhou Xun stretched out a finger and pressed the intro, tilting her head to look at him, as playful as a cat. In a convertible truck, two people were embracing on an old sofa, looking up at the sky, the wind blowing through her hair.
She got a nosebleed from kissing, but wiped it with the back of her hand, completely unconcerned. In the concert hall, a silver-gray StarTAC stood on the piano lid, its flip-top revealing a "Calling" message on the screen.
In the hospital room, she lay on the bed, wearing an oxygen mask, her phone pressed to her ear. Her hand loosened, and the phone slipped from her fingers, falling onto the blanket. The screen was still lit; the call was still going on.
The image fades out.
The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds. Out of the corner of her eye, Li Si'an saw the assistant surnamed Sun lower his head, pick up a tissue from the table, and dab it on the corner of his eye.
Zhao Hongyu leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, without saying a word.
Li Si'an stood up and walked to the video recorder. "Mr. Zhao, I'll play it again. There are a few parts I'd like you to watch more carefully."
He rewound the tape and replayed it. When he got to the concert hall scene, he paused it.
The image freezes on the piano lid—a silver-gray Motorola StarTAC, flip-topped, standing on a black piano lacquer surface, with "Calling" clearly visible.
"Mr. Zhao, look at this camera. The flip phone is standing upright, and the words on the screen are clearly captured by the camera."
This wasn't a forced addition; it was part of the plot—he was playing the piano on stage and wanted her to hear it, so he dialed the number and placed it on the piano lid.
Viewers won't see this as a tragedy; they'll see it as part of the story.
He pressed play to continue. When he got to the scene in the hospital room, he paused it again. The image froze on the phone Zhou Xun was holding.
"This scene is the same. She's lying in the hospital bed, clutching her phone, listening to him play the whole thing from beginning to end. Finally, she lets go, and the phone falls onto the blanket."
He pointed to the silver-gray StarTAC on the screen, "From beginning to end, this phone is part of the story. Without it, the story wouldn't exist. After watching this music video, viewers will remember not only the girl, but also this phone."
He pressed the stop button, ejected the tape, and then inserted the 30-second GG version.
"Mr. Zhao, this version is a 30-second GG. Please take a look."
After the GG version finished playing, the screen faded out, and a line of text appeared on the screen: "Motorola, bringing hearts closer."
Zhao Hongyu leaned back in his chair and stared at the line of text for a few seconds. Then he leaned forward and tapped the screen with his finger.
Who came up with this slogan?
"That's what I thought of," Li Si'an said. "There's also an English version, 'Bringing hearts closer.' But my English isn't great, so I don't know if it's accurate, and I didn't type it in."
Zhao Hongyu nodded, his gaze still fixed on the line of text. After a while, he looked up.
"How did you come up with this line?"
Li Si'an leaned back in her chair. "Nokia's slogan is 'Connecting people.' That's good, practical."
But what I think is—connecting people is just a means; the goal is to bring hearts closer together.
He looked at Zhao Hongyu and said, "In the end, what is the purpose of a cell phone? It's to bring people closer together, not physically, but heart to heart."
That's when I thought of this phrase: "Motorola, bringing hearts closer."
No one spoke in the meeting room. Zhao Hongyu frowned and thought for a while, then pushed his glasses up and clapped lightly a few times.
"Bringing hearts closer." He read the English sentence aloud, nodded, and said, "The translation is fine."
He leaned back in his chair, glanced at Manager Liu next to him, then at Li Si'an, and suddenly smiled, pointing at Assistant Sun next to him with his finger.
"Look, this music video you made even our little Sun cried."
Assistant Sun smiled sheepishly, crumpled up the tissue in her hand, and stuffed it into her bag.
Zhao Hongyu leaned forward slightly, looking at Li Si'an. "I personally really appreciate this music video and this version of GG. The plot and visuals are clearly made with care, and they are truly moving."
He paused, then suddenly asked, "Xiao Li, how old are you this year?"
"Oh? Director Zhao, I'm eighteen this year."
"Eighteen." Zhao Hongyu picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Are you in college yet?"
"I just finished the college entrance exam and applied to the art program at Beijing Normal University."
Zhao Hongyu put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and looked him up and down. "Have you ever considered taking on a part-time job in Motorola's marketing department?"
Li Si'an was stunned for a moment.
"I'm not kidding you." Zhao Hongyu leaned back in his chair. "When you heard Nokia's slogan 'Connecting people,' you thought of 'bringing hearts closer.'"
They emphasize 'connectivity,' while you're thinking about what comes after connection—connectivity is the means, proximity is the goal. And the direction you've figured out aligns perfectly with Motorola's development direction for the next two years.
He picked up his teacup and took a sip. "To make GG for Motorola, to find inspiration from Nokia, and to actually surpass them. I won't call you a genius for that kind of thinking, but you're a natural-born marketer."
He looked at Li Si'an. "You're only eighteen, you have a long road ahead of you. If you're willing, you can come and stay with me for a while and see how the marketing departments of big companies work. It will benefit you no matter what you do in the future."
Li Si'an thought for a moment. "Mr. Zhao, thank you for your kind offer. I'll think about it when I get back, is that alright?"
"Okay. No rush." Zhao Hongyu stood up, extended his hand, "This music video, and this version of GG, we have to keep them. I need to report to the Asia-Pacific headquarters. Wait for my news. Once headquarters approves, we'll discuss the rest."
Li Si'an also stood up and grasped that hand.
"Young man, you've got a sharp mind." Zhao Hongyu shook his hand up and down.
Emerging from the conference room, the hallway still carried the same air conditioning mixed with the smell of coffee. The three of them entered the elevator, the doors closed, and the numbers ticked down one by one.
Zhou Weidong spoke first. "It's a sure thing."
Zhang Yibai leaned against the elevator wall, took out his cigarette, and then put it back in—you can't smoke in the elevator.
Zhang Yibai stuffed the cigarette back into his pocket and leaned against the elevator wall. "Judging from Director Zhao's attitude, this matter is settled." He looked at Li Si'an, "Congratulations, Anzi."
Li Si'an laughed. "Congratulations, Director Zhang. If Motorola really gets to use this GG (Goblin), you'll be the director who's made GG for a top international brand."
Zhang Yibai paused for a moment, then smiled.
The three people in the elevator looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
The elevator reached the first floor. The three of them walked through the lobby, returned their visitor cards to the receptionist, and pushed open the glass doors. A wave of August heat hit them, mixed with car exhaust fumes and the chirping of cicadas.
Zhou Weidong opened the car door, got in, and started the car. Li Si'an sat in the passenger seat, and Zhang Yibai sat in the back. The car drove out of the Motorola Building parking lot and merged into the traffic on Jianguomenwai Street.
"Now we just have to wait," Zhou Weidong said, gripping the steering wheel.
"Wait." Li Si'an leaned back in her seat, watching the street scene outside the car window recede into the distance.